It has been a whirlwind few weeks but hey, welcome to March in the desert!  This is honestly the busiest few weeks of the year here in Palm Springs and I am already counting down to May 1st when the events, crowds, and invitations end and the relaxing calm of town returns.  Don’t get me wrong, I have been enjoying all the excitement but am ready for a nap!

On top of the standard “season” in Palm Springs March 5 is Chris’s birthday so we had some celebrating to do for that, a bestie was in town from South Africa, and one of my great friends got married  which meant a trip to the OC….whew! I’m in need of some coffee just thinking about all the go, go, go!

The weekend of March 4/5 was Chris’s birthday and we also had tickets to Rhythm, Wine & Brews out at the Polo Fields (aka where Coachella happens).  RWB is a one day event with beer and wine tastings, plenty of good food (hello Lobster Rolls), and an evening filled with music.  This year’s headliner was Snoop and yes, my inner ghetto melted a little watching him on stage.

Dress // Jacket // Bag (on major repeat and back in stock!) // Sandals // Sunnies (similar HERE)

The morning after RWB was Chris’s actual birthday so we took Sarge across the street to The Ace for some breakkie.

Tank (old but love THIS and THIS) // Pants (old but THESE are cute) // Flip Flops // Jacket & Bag still on repeat

We spent the afternoon playing a round of golf with a few friends.  Full disclosure, this was only my second time playing golf and totally slowed the game down (except for my PAR!) but at least my outfit was cute, right??!  After golf and a big nap we met up with 2 couples for Sunday dinner at Mr. Lyons.  They do a traditional Prime Rib dinner with baked potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, and dessert…so good!

Skirt (similar HERE) // Polo (similar HERE) // Hat (similar HERE) // Sneakers

The following weekend we drove down to Laguna Beach for my girlfriend’s wedding.  I took the opportunity to take Chris to my absolute, hands down, favorite hotel, Montage Laguna! (PS, for those of you who don’t know, I worked at this little slice of heaven as a Front Desk Manager for a little over a year before moving to LA to open Montage Beverly Hills.  There’s no place like home!)  We also decided to meet up with one of my cousins while at Montage for lunch at Mosaic, the poolside bar & grill.  The views and rosé were to die for!

Shorts // Sandals // Necklace (handmade in Idyllwild) // Same bag, jacket & glasses) // Top

After lunch at Montage we checked into The Ranch at Laguna Beach.  If you follow me on Instastories or Snapchat chances are you saw photos of the adorable rooms, the lobby, and of course, our rustic chic rocking chairs on the patio.

Chasity’s wedding was aboard one of the Newport Electra Cruises and thanks to the amazing traffic on PCH we nearly missed the boat!  How gorgeous does she look??? We had so much fun cruising the harbor all evening, dancing, drinking, and celebrating the bride & groom!

Dress (last seen HERE) // Heels // Earrings

The day after the wedding hurt.  I was for sure on the struggle bus most of the morning but pulled it together for our drive to LA to see ZARA (my friend from South Africa, not the store)!  We did the typical blogger in LA agenda: coffee at Alfred, shopping on Melrose, and naturally, a photo at the infamous Paul Smith Pink Wall.

Tank // Shorts (under $20!)

We met Zara for a glass of wine (and mocktail for her as she is 6 months preggo) at the Garden Bar at Montage.  Another day, another hotel I worked in!  I actually met Zara while opening Montage BH, she was a J1 International Intern working in the hotel for a year and later became my mentee.  Needless to say it is always exciting to have an opportunity to get together.  We had our drinks and then made our way to Bouchon for dinner…still drooling a week later thinking about how perfect it was!

Major floor envy at the new restaurant, Georgie, inside of Montage.

Dress (similar HERE) // Sandals (similar HERE)

We got home from LA super late Monday night and went right back to work on Tuesday followed by an evening match at the BNP Paribas Open.  We have been in the desert a while now and have never made it to this huge tennis tournament before.  Um, not sure why not…Moet on ice, people watching, and the food was so good!  We saw Djokavick and Del Potro play a set before heading home to get some rest for the crazy week!

On Saturday afternoon Chris called me at work to tell me we had tickets to the BNP finals the next day.  Seeing that I am never one to A) miss out on a cool event and B) miss out on plenty of Moet, I found someone to work for me Sunday so we could enjoy the finals.  We drank tons of Moet Imperial Ice (ok, let’s talk about this, Moet has designed a champagne that is specifically designed to be poured over ice and actually, tastes awful if you try to drink it like regular champagne.  How cool is that?!?), had delish salmon BLTs from SEAR, and watched Roger Federer beat Stank Wawrinka for the championship.  Epic Day!

Tank (Onia, sold out but similar style HERE) // Necklace (similar HERE) // Hat // Shorts (old but love THESE) // Adidas // Bag // Sunnies

Up next? Some family in town, Coachella, Stagecoach, and a nap or two!

Have a great week, darlings!

XO, Niki